【推荐3】The long reach of the corona virus continues to show up in the strangest ways. The iconic (偶像的，标志性的)fast-food giant KFC, announced it's abandoning the famous advertising slogan, "It's Finger Lickin' Good," because the phrase is inappropriate to use during the COVID-19 outbreak.

KFC announced its plans to temporarily stop using the slogan which it's been using for 64 years in a low-key and funny statement titled, "AND THE WINNER OF THE AWARD FOR THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE SLOGAN FOR 2020 GOES TO KFC."

“The home of the world's favorite fried chicken admits that the slogan is a bit 'off' for now," the news notes, before making clear that the use of "It's Finger Lickin' Good" slogan will immediately be paused in advertising around the globe starting on August 24. "This year has been like no other, and, right now, our slogan doesn't feel quite right. "

This is not the first time that KFC has struggled with the use of their famous ad campaign during the coronavirus. In early March, KFC pulled a television spot running in the UK that featured actors licking their fingers. You may recall that the earliest days of the pandemic filled with nonstop reminders not to touch your face for fear of spreading the virus. Of course, there's the potential danger of spreading virus that comes with licking your fingers before (or after) touching any public surface, such as doorknobs and the tableware at your local fast food cafe.

“While we are pausing the use of it's Finger Lickin' Good, we assure that the food loved by so many people around the world isn't changing one bit,” KFC's global chief marketing officer, Catherine Tan-Gillespie, said.

For those concerned with the potential permanence of this famous fast-food phrase.

KFC'S statement ended on a more cheerful note. "And for all those fans, don't worry the slogan will be back. Just when the time is right."

【推荐1】How would you like an easy way to earn $2,500? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. There’s a catch, however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You can’t leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.

Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist. He wanted to make film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food. He decided to pay $ 5,000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.

To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement. He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-yearold restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist. The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum.

The week was long and difficult. They slept on hard wooden floor. They couldn’t stand up without banging their heads. They ate mash (a kind of food for animals) and drink water from a garden pipe. Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain, which was the most unbearable. There were no sinks, mirrors or toothbrushes in the cage.Visitors we came here who were warned, “Do not feed the humans.”

Finally, it was over, and Pam and Eric came out of the cage. They had survived the week and they each had a $ 2,500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away. “It’s great for me to be able to stand up.” he said. Pam just changed her clothes and left. After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.

【推荐3】Chinese scientists have discovered a possible “death switch” mechanism in plants’ immunity system that causes infected cells to self-destruct, thus limiting the spread of the disease and keeping other parts of the plant healthy.

Scientists said the discovery provides clues to cell death control and immunity for plants, and they hope further research can lead to a new generation of disease-resistant crops that use significantly less pesticide and are more environmentally friendly.

The research was done by scientists from Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Development Biology. Their findings were published in the journal Science on Friday.

About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that plants, like animals, have strong immune systems that can protect them from pathogens(病原体) including viruses, bacteria and parasites(寄生虫). Plants also have a unique “trick and catch” immune response to deal with pathogens that have weakened their cellular(connected with cell) defense, but exactly how this worked remained unknown, said Zhou Jianmin, a researcher at the institute and one of the main scientists behind the study.

To solve this mystery, Zhou and his team investigated a protein called AvrAC, which is produced by a bacterial pathogen that causes black rot on cabbage. The bacterium injects AvrAC into plant cells, where it acts as a “biochemical weapon” weakening the plant's immune system.

They discovered that some plants have evolved to carry a resistance protein called ZAR1 that can detect bacterial proteins like AvrAC. “These plants use special proteins as “bait” and trick the bacterial protein into attacking them instead. While the bait is being attacked, ZAR1 is activated to form a multiprotein structure called resistosome,” Zhou said.

“The resistosome inserts itself into the cell's tissue and causes it to destroy itself along with the invading pathogens, thus protecting other healthy cells”, he said.

In addition to discovering this defense mechanism, Zhou and his associates from Tsinghua University created structural models of the resistosome from their research. This allows other scientists to examine its composition and functions more closely.

“The ‘death switch’ is usually harmless to the plant because it only affects diseased cells, which are a tiny portion of the entire plant,” Zhou said. “The discovery is a huge step toward the dream of designing new resistant genes. And once we know how the system works, we can harness(利用) it for the benefit of agriculture.”